Emily Harville

Dr. Emily Harville is a Professor and Program Director of the PhD in Epidemiology at Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her research focuses on perinatal epidemiology, health disparities, and the life course perspective, particularly how reproductive and pregnancy-related factors influence long-term health outcomes.

She serves as co-director of the Southern Center for Maternal Health Equity (SCMHE) and leads the PrePARED Consortium for preconception health studies. Her work integrates environmental health, disaster response, and maternal-child health, with a strong emphasis on addressing racial disparities.

• Education:
  • PhD, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • MSPH, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
  • BA, Biology, Oberlin College

Dr. Harville has contributed extensively to understanding the impact of disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina, Deepwater Horizon oil spill) on reproductive health and has published over 150 articles. Her recent work examines links between reproductive history and cognitive aging, highlighting the emerging field of neuro-obstetrics. She teaches advanced epidemiological methods and courses on health disparities.

Her research includes collaborations with international teams, such as the Bogalusa Heart Study and Young Finns Study, and she employs metabolomics, epigenetics, and population-level data to uncover mechanisms behind health inequities. Dr. Harville also emphasizes community-based interventions and policy development to improve maternal health in the Gulf South.